1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to an improved data processing system and in particular to a data processing system and method for maintaining attributes of multiple devices in association with a single device identifier. Still more particularly, the present invention provides a mechanism for overriding device default values within a data structure of device attributes with a single device identifier maintained in association with devices of different device classifications.
2. Description of Related Art
A conventional operating system implementation utilizes a group of device attributes to define attributes of system objects, such as peripheral adapters and devices. For example, the AIX operating system uses a group of device attributes implemented as predefined attribute objects (PdAt) that are managed by an object data manager (ODM). Attributes of a particular device classification are collectively grouped together based on a unique device identifier—for example, a uniquetype value associated with a classification of devices.
A uniquetype may support more than one device by way of model_map stanza. Devices that share a uniquetype all share the same initial values for the attributes defined by default entries of the PdAt. Devices requiring one or more different default values for a common attribute must be defined with separate uniquetypes. Thus, the performance of such a device is limited during system boot, install and operation until vendor specific ODM data, e.g., a PdAt entry for the device, is supplied.
It would be advantageous to provide a mechanism for maintaining attributes of multiple device types or classifications in association with a single device classification identifier. It would be further advantageous to provide a mechanism for maintaining attributes of multiple device classification having identical attribute sets in association with a single device classification identifier. It would still be further advantageous to provide a mechanism for overriding device default values within a data structure that supports association of device attributes with multiple device classifications via a single device classification identifier.